The San Francisco 49ers did two things this offseason that could have backfired on them. But as it turns out, one of those things might save the other. In their 27-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the 49ers lost starting quarterback Trey Lance for the remainder of the season with a fractured ankle.
The team made it official after the game.
Kyle Shanahan has confirmed QB Trey Lance has suffered a broken right ankle and will require season-ending surgery.
Join us in wishing Trey a speedy recovery 🙏❤️💛 #IGYB pic.twitter.com/zXQ9J8Uo15
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 18, 2022
The injury happened with 2:33 left in the first quarter. Lance ran to the right guard gap and went down awkwardly after a two-yard run. He was carted off the field.
Then, Jimmy Garoppolo, the now-backup quarterback who recently agreed to a restructured contract, came in and led the team pretty credibly, completing 13 of 21 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers will obviously miss Lance’s impressive upside, and they’ll be limited by Garoppolo’s low ceiling, but at least they’re not in quarterback disaster mode after Lance’s injury. Purgatory, perhaps.
